Boise State University announced today that astronaut and Idaho educator Barbara R. Morgan is joining the university as the Distinguished Educator in Residence, a new position designed to fit her unique ability to provide vision and leadership to the State of Idaho on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

"We live in a time when our state needs a strong voice to advocate for the importance of science, technology, engineering and math education to benefit our children, our economy, and our nation," said Boise State President Bob Kustra. "As a respected teacher, mission specialist and astronaut, Barbara is uniquely qualified to provide this voice and this leadership."

The Idaho State Board of Education approved Morgan's appointment today, just weeks after Boise State awarded Morgan an honorary doctorate degree for her accomplishments as NASA's first Educator Astronaut. Morgan flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavor last August.

Morgan, through a dual appointment to Boise State's colleges of engineering and education, will advise, lead and represent the university in its policy development, advocacy and fundraising in STEM-related programs, scholarships and initiatives. She will serve as a Boise State ambassador for scientific literacy in the community and help guide education policy in Idaho. Also, she will direct Boise State's efforts to bring NASA education programs to area school districts, and serve as a guest lecturer and student mentor in departments across campus.

Morgan joined NASA in the 1980s as part of the Teacher in Space program and served as the backup to Christa McAuliffe for the ill-fated mission of space shuttle Challenger. She later trained as a mission specialist for NASA. From 1975-78, Morgan taught remedial reading and math and second grade at McCall-Donnelly Elementary School. After a year in Ecuador, she taught second, third, and fourth grades at McCall-Donnelly from 1979-98.

According to the Associated Press, Morgan will retire from NASA in August and will start her four year contract with the university later this fall.

Robert Pearlman

NASA release

Astronaut Barbara Morgan to Leave NASA

Veteran space shuttle astronaut Barbara R. Morgan will leave NASA in August to become an educator at Idaho's Boise State University.

NASA's first educator astronaut, Morgan logged more than 305 hours in space aboard shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 assembly mission to the International Space Station in August 2007. She operated the shuttle and station robotic arms to install hardware, inspect the orbiter and support spacewalks. Morgan also served as loadmaster for the transfer of supplies between the shuttle and station, taught lessons from space to schoolchildren on Earth and served on the flight deck during re-entry and landing.

"Barbara has served NASA and the Astronaut Office with distinction over the course of her career," Astronaut Office chief Steve Lindsey said. "From the Teacher in Space Program to her current position as a fully qualified astronaut, she has set a superb example and been a consistent role model for both teachers and students. She will be missed."

Morgan previously served as the backup to payload specialist Christa McAuliffe in the Teacher in Space Program. McAuliffe and six fellow astronauts lost their lives in the Challenger accident on Jan. 28, 1986. Morgan, who was an elementary schoolteacher in McCall, Idaho, before being selected as McAuliffe's backup, returned to teaching after the accident. She was selected to train as a mission specialist in 1998 and named to the STS-118 crew in 2002.

"It is really tough to leave NASA," Morgan said. "It is a great organization with great people doing great things. We're going back to the moon and on to Mars. I'm especially proud that we have three other teachers who are astronauts, and there will be others in the future. I'm very excited to go to work for Boise State University. I like everything about it, and it's going to be wonderful helping exploration by working full time for education."

Three other educator mission specialists, Richard Arnold, Joseph Acaba and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, are training for future spaceflights. Arnold and Acaba are assigned to fly on the STS-119 space shuttle mission to the station in 2009.

Morgan will serve as Distinguished Educator in Residence at Boise State, providing vision and leadership to the state of Idaho on science, technology, engineering and math education.

NASA astronaut and former Idaho elementary teacher Barbara Morgan returned to the classroom this week at Boise State University, where she is now a distinguished educator in residence.

Her contract with NASA expired this month, which has allowed her to begin a four-year contract with the university.

A reception on the Boise campus to welcome Morgan is scheduled for Monday.

spaceman1953

What a fitting "honor" for one of our true space heroes! Congratulations, Dr. Morgan!

Robert Pearlman

The Idaho Statesman reports that there is now a grassroots campaign to get Barbara Morgan to run for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014:

A teacher in office? "It doesn't take rocket science to be a good superintendent of schools," reads an online petition at change.org, where folks are signing on to urge the former teacher who went into space to seek the Idaho education chief post. "But it sure would be a nice contrast to our current superintendent."

A laugher? Morgan guffawed through an interview with Boise Weekly, saying, "...that's an interesting rumor" and "I really have nothing to say." She said she wants to stay "nice and nonpartisan."